As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,087,911; 4,283,854; 4,034,982; and 2,359,098 the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse hand-held weapon arrangements.
While the prior art constructions are more than adequate for the broad purpose and function for which they were specifically designed, they also fall far short of providing the ideal combat weapon, particularly with respect to the rapid reorientation of the weapon.
For instance, all the prior art devices comprise simple finger receiving grip appendages which insure the basic retention of the related knife construction; however, these devices do not allow for retention of the knife during a maneuver to reorient the knife. This rapid reorientation in a combat situation such as from a defensive position into an attack position, can be of vital importance, and will in most instances involve the life or death of one of the combatants.
Furthermore, most common combat knife constructions do not provide for one handed reorientation. Typically, a soldier in combat would either: haphazardly rotate the knife using only one hand, and risk dropping the weapon entirely, or being disarmed by the attacker during the attempted rotation; or, would use both hands to rotate the knife, thereby putting himself at a decided disadvantage during this action as a consequence of this complicated maneuver.
Obviously, there has existed a longstanding need for an improved combat knife construction which incoporates security, adjustability, and adaptability; and the development of such a device is the stated purpose and objective of the present invention.